This research proposal is a two year design for the development and testing of measures necessary for a future longitudinal study of the effects of illness on the health of a family. Primary research attention will be focused on construction indices of illness severity which would have potential and relevance for future research on other types of disease. Objectives include 1) development of objective and subjective illness severity measures, 2) construction of severity of illness indices emperically, 3) pretest measures of health change for husband, oldest child at home, and the couple's marital relationship, and 4) test hypotheses in a short longitudinal pilot study.